Believe it or not, an obesity drug is available in the UK

When I wrote my Obesity is Here to Stay post in March I could not conceive that my predictions would come true. But there it was in black and white – the first anti-obesity drug had been launched in the United Kingdom on June 1st. Well how do you like that?

If you missed out on the details of Obesity is Here to Stay, I discussed the severity of the obesityepidemic and stated categorically that this was an epidemic of massive proportions. One that we did not have the wherewith-all to deal with. Why? Because at the end of the day if we are to beat obesity and regain some semblance ofbody wellness, then we all have to adopt healthier lifestyles. No if’s, and’s or but’s about it.

And what are the chances of that happening? Well our over 30% obesity rate gives us that answer. But… no worries, because in marches BigPharma. And it’s not with the obesity vaccine that I predicted but an anti-obesity drug. Well, I wasn’t far off. And while I thought that this miracle cure would come to market way in the future – I was dead wrong. It’s here, right now and being bought and consumed at a frantic pace.

And which drug company won this major coup? The British pharmaceutical giant Capsiplexs.

Their anti-obesity drug was previously available only through the National Health Service in the UK and only to severely obese patients. But now Capsisplexs has been given the go ahead to sell their anti-obesity drug in pharmacies nationwide. And they just can’t keep up with the demand. Some 50,000 packs sold in just 2 weeks.

And what’s the magic in the anti-obesity drug? “ It’s said to contain an increased amount of blood sugar-regulating Chromium, fat burner L-Carnitine and the “star” component Methylcellulose.” This cocktail is reputed to increase our metabolism by 12 times the usual rate!

It has been referred to as a “discrete” drug which allows one to effortlessly lose weight “without inhibiting your lifestyle.” How’s that for encouraging healthy lifestyles?

While this drug may be heralded as the next best thing to sliced bread, my concern remains our overall body wellness.

Yes of course it is wonderful to have a quick fix, especially for the morbidly obese who are ill and desperate to lose weight. But what about the rest of the body wellness piece? What about eating the right whole and natural foods like those on the low end of the glycemic index? What about regular and ongoing exercise? What about lifestyles that are going to support health and starve off disease?

And that’s my concern about any anti-obesity drug, that folks will look at it as a quick fix without doing what they must do in order to preserve body wellness. There are no quick fixes in life – and the anti-obesity drug is no different.

7 Responses

I couldn’t agree with you more. If only we could have lung transplants, then we could smoke all we want and when our lungs die off, just replace them and keep on smoking. Anti-obesity drug!! Take this medicine and continue to eat crap and sit on the couch. Doesn’t sound like much of a solution to me. I’m sure there are some cases that truely need help and if this is the help they need, that’s great, but let’s not advertise this as a solution to obesity.

While it is a pill and regulated in the UK, Capsiplex ( It’s the name of the product, I can’t find the manufacturer ) is hardly a pharmaceutical. In the US it would be a “dietary supplement” that is nearly unregulated. I’m sure, like most fads before it, it will be *huge* here. There has been one study that showed it increased metabolism “up to” 12 times *during exercise* and no long term studies of it’s effectiveness ( other pages claim an extra 270 calories a day burnt, but don’t give a control ). When the claim to fame is that “Brad Pitt and Jennifer Lopez are said to have them” rather than a medical study it’s probably just another fad.

I also would like to point out that although weight is correlated to health issues, weight itself is not the problem lack of fitness is. Someone who is of “normal” and out-of-shape is at a higher risk of death than someone who is “overweight” and out-of-shape; also those who are in shape beat those who are out of shape for disease and death for the most part despite their weight.

I believe it’s (generally) not what we eat, but lack of exercise that is the actual cause of the vast majority of the health issues. Fat, calories, natural, or processed foods are not the cause, just a compounding factor.

Eric:
Thanks for your very informative and helpful comments and for letting us know just how creepy those Capsiplex ingredients are! I totally agree that lack of exercise is a contributing factor in health issues today. It’s not just about the food that we are eating, it’s also our coach potato mentality.

L-Carnitine an Omnivore diet takes in between 20 and 200 g/day already and we really can’t absorb more than about 2g at one sitting.

And last but not least.

Chromium ( probably chromium(III) picolinate ), the compound where the FDA has actually reduced the RDI because of the fact that it can cause DNA damage and toxicity. While you can be chromium deficient, it is exceptionally rare ( as in 3 cases have been discovered in total ).

Michelle, this is my theory: I don’t believe the FDA will ever approve an anti-obesity drug in the US. The diet industry is too big and too powerful. The increase in the number of obese Americans only helps line the pockets of the diet industry. There WAS an anti-obesity cure all in the US, in the form of Fen-Phen. That was taken off the market years ago.

Hi Jennifer:
Yes, I agree – the diet business is big, big business with influential players. And who wants to rock that boat or should I say gravy train. Obesity and lack of exercise leads to disease which increases medical costs, leaving the big players laughing all the way to the bank. Thanks for your insights.

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